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Baylor scored three times in the first quarter, but the Bears only managed to score 13 points. This allowed West Virginia to hang around early on. Will the defending Big 12 champions end up regretting allowing that to happen? West Virginia leads Baylor in Morganton, 24-20 at the half.

West Virginia had three turnovers in the first half, yet the Mountaineers have been able to lock down on Baylor’s offense just enough to not allow that -3 turnover margin to doom them. West Virgina has knocked Baylor quarterback Bryce Petty off his game. Petty has two touchdown passes, but he has completed just nine of 20 pass attempts. Baylor’s offense put together just 157 yards of offense in the first half as well, a week after racking up 782 yards (and 61 points) against TCU.

Baylor took a 20-14 lead midway through the second quarter, but only after officials had to overturn a targeting foul. Baylor wide receiver Corey Coleman was called for a targeting penalty on the play, which could have kept the score off the board. Coleman threw a good block on West Virginia’s Terrell Chestnut. After a video review, mandated per the rules regarding targeting penalties, the Big 12 officials ruled the block to be clean and awarded the touchdown, scored by Antwan Goodley, to Baylor as a result.

West Virginia took over from that point though. Dreamius Smith wrapped up a five-play scoring drive with a nine-yard touchdown run to regain the lead for the Mountaineers. As the half came to a close, West Virginia’s lead was padded with a 54-yard field goal by Josh Lambert.

Baylor has been called for 10 penalties in the first half of what has been a chippy game at times. The half ended with Baylor getting called for a personal foul penalty that will carry over to the start of the second half as well. West Virginia has been called for five penalties and the two teams have combined for 147 yards of penalty yardage.

If anything was learned last week though, it is that Baylor is not likely to be tied down for very long. Last week Baylor overcame a 21-0point deficit in the fourth quarter. Down four to West Virginia is not likely to last very long, so West Virginia will have to keep pressing.

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The West Virginia Mountaineers surrendered 263.3 passing yards per game in 2013. The Mountaineers’ defense finished 106th overall in pass defense. It doesn’t get much worse…unless the team loses its top cornerback. That’s exactly what the Mountaineers are facing as the 2014 season looms.

According to WV Metro News, senior cornerback Ishmael “Icky” Banks “is dealing with an academic eligibility issue that could sideline him this season.”

Banks has played in 36 games the past three seasons and started every game in 2013. He’s the leader of the secondary and a calming influence on the younger players at the position.

“I’m still learning from him,” sophomre Daryl Worley to Metro News two weeks ago. “There’s times when I feel myself getting overwhelmed and angry with myself and he can calm me down.”

With Banks potentially out of the lineup, junior Terrell Chestnut will likely slide into the starting role opposite Worley. It’s also an opportunity for four-star recruit and crown jewel of WVU’s 2014 recruiting class, Dravon Henry (Aliquippa, Penn./Aliquippa) to earn early playing time.